The Times of India             04.10.2013

Kochi corporation moves to draft parking policy

KOCHI: When the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) started the civil works for Kochi Metro along the main roads in the city, the police was forced to ban parking on the barricaded stretches to facilitate traffic movement through congested roads. But enforcing traffic regulations has become a tall task for both the Metro agency and police, who have failed to identify specific locations for motorists to park their vehicles.

With the police declaring road sides along the construction site as no parking zones, those who come down for shopping and other activities on MG Road and other areas on the Kaloor-Palarivattom stretch are forced to park vehicles on bylanes.

The Kochi corporation's lackadaisical approach in drafting and implementing a parking policy before launching the Metro's construction work has created the chaotic situation.

The formulation of parking policy is one of the conditions laid out in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). "The corporation is aware of the urgency in implementing the parking policy. In the coming week, we plan to proceed with the drafting process," said town planning committee chairman K J Sohan.

It is also pointed out that the corporation should immediately take steps to shift bus bays located close to Metro sites. Measures should be taken to introduce more JNNURM buses through the city roads to bring down the use of private vehicles. "All these issues will be discussed at the meeting that will be convened by mayor Tony Chammany on Saturday. It will also decide on the authority or department who will be responsible for fixing these issues," added Sohan.